McLaren: Needs consistency

Lewis Hamilton’s Hungary victory was a much-needed fillip for both team and driver. McLaren appeared to have gone slightly off the boil after Hamilton’s splendid win in Canada — his first of the 2012 campaign — but a Hockenheim update package produced some extra pace and it will be fascinating to see whether the MP4-27 can maintain that momentum into Spa and Monza, two very different tracks. Hamilton is driving better than he did last season and has for the most part stayed clear of trouble. He has appeared calm out of the car, even in adversity.

“I don’t have any problems going on in my life, any baggage,” he said recently, “while last year, I had a big, big sack. I’ve fortunately dumped that in the dumpster and it’s all good now.”

Melbourne winner Jenson Button remains in the hunt, if only in mathematical terms, and his second place in Germany was a welcome boost after a sequence of patchy results.